(October 16 -31, 2016)
Central Asian Republics
Kazakhstan
President Nazarbayev’s visit to Saudi Arabia: 24-25 October, 2016
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia met and negotiated with a host of high level government and business representatives, leading to an agreement on projects and contracts worth over $181.55 million, the presidential press-service reported. According to the Kazakh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bakyt Batyrshayev, talks focusing on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues culminated in the signing of 16 mutual agreements including MoUs which “cover diverse areas of cooperation like nuclear energy, agriculture, commerce, a roadmap for future cooperation as well as extradition and exchange of sentenced persons languishing in jails.”
According to Akorda’s press service, the head of state met with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud and newly appointed President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Bandar bin Mohammed bin Hamza Asaad Al Hajjar. It was noted that the total portfolio of the projects in the Central Asian country, in which IDB is involved, is about $1.3 billion. This also includes future projects to be implemented in cooperation with the IDB. At the meeting with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani, Nazarbayev discussed ways of further enhancing Kazakhstan’s interaction with the organisation. The two noted the importance of promoting the development of the Islamic Organization of Food Security (IOFS), which was created by Nazarbayev’s initiative last April in Astana. Today the organization has support of 32 member-states of the OIC. Madani expressed support for Nazarbayev’s other initiatives to resolve regional conflicts.
During his meeting with the heads of leading, global-level Saudi companies, President Nazarbayev noted that Saudi Arabia is one of Kazakhstan’s main Middle Eastern partners. The bilateral trade volume by the end of 2015 was $16.3 million and the president welcomed the fact that 17 enterprises with Saudi participation operate in Kazakhstan. He ended on an appreciative note, inviting more businesses from the Kingdom to seek presence in the Central Asian country. As reported by Kazinform, President Nazarbayev cited challenging logistics as the reason why “trade is not so well developed between our countries.” To reverse this position, it was agreed to “elaborate a road map and [intensify cooperation through] a bilateral intergovernmental commission and working group on sectoral collaboration… A major agreement concerns developing a joint investment fund … to finance joint projects in our country.” In a bid to attract the inflow of foreign investment, the president pointed out promising areas of bilateral economic cooperation, including mining and metallurgical complex, petro-chemistry, agriculture, the nuclear industry, finance and Islamic banking, and highlighted Astana’s efforts to create more favourable conditions for business and investments, which includes Kazakhstan’s large-scale privatisation of state companies. “About 800 state enterprises, totaling $10 billion were exposed to be transferred into the competitive environment. We support the Saudi companies participating in the ongoing privatisation [in Kazakhstan],” the president is recorded to have said.
Kazakhstan has 12% of the world's uranium resources and an expanding mining sector, producing about 23,800 tonnes in 2015, and planning for further increase to 2018. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is one of several West Asian states looking into setting up a nuclear power program. A 2010 royal decree identified nuclear power as essential to help meet growing energy demand for both electricity generation and water desalination, while reducing reliance on depleting hydrocarbon resources. In light of this, an agreement to cooperate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy was signed by Kazakh energy minister Kanat Bozumbayev and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) president Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani, witnessed by President Nazarbayev and Saudi's Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
On the whole, the visit was noted by agencies on both sides as significant to take forward the ties between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
Uzbekistan
Uzbek Central Election Commission confirms Presidential Candidates
In a briefing on the 28thof October, the head of Uzbekistan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov confirmed that the CEC has registered presidential candidates from the country’s four political parties to run for the presidential elections scheduled for the 4th of December, following the death of the country’s first and, till date, the only president Islam Karimov.
Specially created CEC expert groups have carefully checked the submitted registration documents and confirmed that they conform with the requirements, the CEC head said. Among the registered presidential candidates are Shavkat Mirziyoyev from UzLiDeP, Sarvar Otamuratov from Milly Tiklanish Party, Nariman Umarov from Adolat Party, and Hotamzhon Ketmonov from PDPU.
The current interim president Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s nomination is being perceived by many as a confirmation of his succession as the long-term president of Uzbekistan. His recent domestic and foreign policy profile cements this assumption. Mirziyoyev met with voters in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan on November 1 to present his election programme. Additionally, according to Akorda’s press-office reports, Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated Mirziyoyev upon the confirmation of his nomination, which is being acknowledged as a significant move.
